Coffee Blondies
I have a love-hate relationship with coffee. And by love-hate I mean, I love drinking the stuff, but I also hate that I’m semi-addicted to it.
I go through these periods (I’ve gone as long as a few years at a time) where I can completely kick the habit and not even miss it. But then, out of nowhere the craving for it will settle in and suddenly I’ve got to have it and I fall off the wagon and go back to my dependency on it like nothing ever happened. It’s odd.
I’m regrettably back in my dependency stage at the moment. Every night before bed I ensure that I place the grounds and the water in my coffee maker and set the timer to make sure it’s ready for me in the morning. First thing in the morning after I wake up and brush my teeth, I go into the kitchen, pour out two in two mugs, then put them both in the fridge to chill for about an hour. I add a coffee ice cube to the mug (yes, I keep coffee ice cubes in my freezer) a little bit of milk, then a splash of vanilla syrup, and bam. That’s how I take it. Every day.
There’s usually at least a little bit of coffee left in the pot at the end of the day, and I try not to end up throwing it out–especially if it’s good coffee. As I said, my most common use for the ‘leftover’ coffee is to freeze it into ice cubes. The other is to try and bake something with it.
Coffee is an ingredient that can really enhance the flavor of chocolate, which is why sometimes you’ll see it included in brownie or chocolate cake recipes. But for coffee fanatics like me, sometimes you want a dessert that makes it the central flavor. I’ve experimented with coffee in desserts before on the blog, including this pound cake (one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted for what it’s worth), as well as with cookies and scones. Today, I’m trying something new.
I’m in a phase where I really want texture from my desserts. I like chewy richness, like the kind you can only get in a pie, or brownies, or thick cookies…or blondies.
The blondie itself is like a really rich, chewy cookie. Take a look at that shiny, crackly crust, would you? The nuts add another textural element to that chewiness. Best of all, because it’s a blondie and not a brownie, the coffee flavor stands out on its own. These are everything that my tastebuds want. They come together in minutes and bake in less than an hour, so it’s also a pretty fool-proof recipe too. Even if you don’t like coffee, I think you’d still like these.
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Recipe Adapted from Canadian Living Ingredients 1½ cups (213 g) all-purpose flour Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder with a fork and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Remove from the heat and stir in the coffee until well combined. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add the pecans and chocolate chips and stir gently. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake 18 to 24 minutes, until the blondies are set on the edges and the top is golden brown and just beginning to form cracks. A wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the blondies should come out with just a couple of crumbs. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Use the parchment sling to gently lift the blondies from the pan. Cut them into squares.Coffee Blondies
1½ teaspoons baking powder
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks; 170 g) unsalted butter, cold
1½ cups (297 g) packed brown sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons strong coffee, room temperature
1 egg
1½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (86 g) pecan halves, toasted and chopped
¾ cup (128 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
Linking to Fiesta Friday #364, hosted this week by Diann @ Of Goats and Greens and Petra @ Food Eat Love.
These look like they have lovely texture.
Thank you Dorothy! The texture is my favorite part of these 🙂
Sweet and scrumptious! A must make recipe!
Yes, I HIGHLY recommend you try them. Thanks.
Beautiful photos of a delicious sounding recipe! I love coffee but limit myself to a cup/day as I tend to get twitchy otherwise! 🙂 And of course one of your coffee blondies would be great with my mid day cup!
Happy Fiesta Friday!
Thank you! Most days I can stick with the one cup, but I’m also in graduate school, so sometimes I just have to have the second lol
A great concept, and the coffee makes these blondies special. Looks very tasty, and thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday
Thank you 🙂
I used to love cafetiere coffee but it made me anxious and jittery so I had to give it up. Still love coffee flavoured things though.
Hopefully I’ll be able to ‘re-kick’ my habit too! Thanks 😉
Oh WOW! These sound and look delicious!
Thank you! They really are 🙂
Mmmm. Looks delicious! I wonder if I could make a vegan version. Coffee + Brownies sounds like bliss.
I’ve tried kicking my coffee habit, it lasted all of 7 days. I felt like I was going through a drug withdrawal! 😂
I’m not very experienced with vegan baking, but I’m sure there’s a way the coffee can just be added to a vegan blondie recipe.
And yes, caffeine withdrawals are real and no joke. Thanks 😉
These look delicious! I’m curious to try blondies with chocolate chips AND coffee!!
Oh man, I’m sure adding chocolate chips would be a GREAT addition. Good idea!
So! Awesome!!
They really ARE. Thank you, I hope you get around to making them some time, they are not to be missed 😉
I hope so too!
Can’t go wrong with coffee and blondes lol!! I’m a dork.. tell me to shut up 😂🤣😂
Omggg looks sooon good!!!
Thank you–they really are 😉